Angels on Earth at Ladybird Animal Sanctuary

Once in awhile my life is touched by people I believe are like angels on earth. You’re probably thinking “what a cliché”, and if I told these wonderful people what I thought of them, they’d modestly tell me they’re just like everybody else. But they aren’t. These angels are people like Lisa Winn, Melissa McClelland, and Janine Stoll, the co-founders of Ladybird Animal Sanctuary, who are saving the lives of countless abandoned animals in high-kill shelters. Without the love and dedication of these selfless women, hundreds of helpless and neglected animals would have lost their lives.

The three best friends were singers recording and touring together across Canada as Ladybird Sideshow Project. These compassionate women saw a need to help abused and abandoned animals they just couldn’t ignore. Refusing to sit back and wait for someone else to fix the problem, together they started an animal sanctuary in Hamilton. Since 2011, Ladybird Animal Sanctuary has rescued 865 animals from shelters with a euthanasia policy. Though their music careers have moved in different directions, their friendship and love of animals has remained strong. I had the privilege of speaking with Lisa Winn, one of the sanctuary’s co-founders.

“We started with one cat named Oliver and one foster home,” says Lisa. Little did sweet Oliver know what a major role his rescue from an animal shelter would play in the formation of a charitable organization that now has over 30 foster homes.

Read the rest of the story with your copy of The Point coming April 1st.

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